Neutering and Training

I have for the first time started to seriously consider neutering Jesse... in fact, I have over the last few days decided for good that he will be neutered. His behaviour is getting to a point where he stresses himself out around bitches and male dogs and it stresses me out. Over the last few days, he has also started to try to hump Flash frequently... unfortunately Flash doesn't tell him off! So I think it is time.

Yesterday, I took the three boys for a walk and we met a couple of dogs. They were off lead to start off with, so I let Flash and Jesse approach and called Dylan back. Both Flash and Jesse were fine with the dogs, and I was holding on to Dylan's harness. Dylan was interested, so I let him approach one of the dogs (which was put on the lead in the meantime) and Dylan suddenly snapped at it! And as he did that, Jesse went for the other dog that he was previously sniffing without any problems. So I had to stop both, appologised to the other owner and moved on.

This is the sort of thing that I think Jesse will hopefully be a lot less intense about once he is neutered. Although he is not an aggressive dog at all and will not generally initiate a fight, he is much more intense with other dogs than I would like - and I feel that is mainly hormone related. So hopefully, neutering will make him a bit more relaxed about this sort of thing. (Though I fully understand as well that it is Jesse's nature not to back down and on occasions go over the top - he has never been good at controlling his temper once he gets going...).

I tried to book him in this Friday or next Friday to be castrated, but they can't do it as they have only got one vet on. I have booked him in for this Thursday, but that's not really a good idea as I want time off after that. So I will reschedule that for a Friday at the end of February/early March... (Jesse will be 14 months old then).

Some New Year's pictures

We had a lovely walk in the morning...





And then Jesse got a bath (which after the pictures above was inevitable). He has his eyes closed in most pictures because he was very tired after a long walk where he played lots with a little terrier friend and then being bathed and blow-dried...

Jesse's 1st BIRTHDAY!

I can't believe that it's already Jesse's first birthday today on 26th December! It's almost a year since I got these first pictures of Jesse and his mum and sibblings:


And look at him now! What a handsome chap he has grown into! (All pictures taken today... and ignore the muddy feet and ears please... LOL).






Doesn't he look a right snob in this one... LOL

Unfortunately there was no party or anything special as I had the flu... I managed to give the boys a good walk though, which they enjoyed!

Jesse's 1st CHRISTMAS

It was Jesse's first Christmas this year. He had a good time and all the dogs got a present each as well as a pig's ear - which they loved. In the afternoon, we went to my parents-in-law to have Christmas Dinner and Jesse came with us as usual. He loved it and got his very own Christmas Dinner too.

Here's some pictures from the morning when they got their presents:

X-mas Party

Last night, it was the SEDTS Christmas Party. I brought both Flash and Jesse along. Unlike in other years, each members had to think of a game. I was first up with my Ball Pool game (dogs needed to retrieve as many numbered tennis balls as possible), which everyone seemed to enjoy. There was also a recall through two rows of sausages, musical chairs (without the chairs), find a treat under plastic cups, "apple and spoon" game and a dressing up game.

Flash and Jesse did really well and I was well proud. Flash won the dressing up game and finding the treat - the latter took just 7 seconds for Flash to find the piece of apple. Jesse came third with about 12 seconds. Jesse won the apple and spoon game!

We had a great time and really enjoyed ourselves. Flash and Jesse were shattered when we got home and went to sleep after their dinner.


Update re skin:

I didn't take Jesse back to the vet's on Thursday as his skin has cleared up. He scratches rarely now and all is fine. I will give him a bath this week-end (and a groom...!) to clean his rather dirty coat (he hasn't had a bath for three or four weeks...).

Vet Visit - Take 2

As Jesse was still scratching, I took him back to see Mark yesterday. Mark agreed that his skin is much improved, particularly on his thighs. But as he is still itchy, he got another 10 days worth of antibiotics and I also asked for anti-hystamines (Tavegil). It seems to be working as he is definitely scratching less, though it is not eliminated yet.

I am still sure that there is a food allergy involved somewhere. Jesse's poos are much better on Nature Diet Lamb & Rice, but still occasionally slightly mucousy... and a couple of times he's thrown up too (though not for a few days now).

If his poos don't go back to perfectly normal within the next 8 days, I will change him to Nature Diet Chicken and Rice and see whether that makes a difference... I'll be damned if I don't find out what is going on with Jesse...

11 months old!

I can't believe that our little puppy is already 11 months old today! Time is absolutely flying! He is growing into a fab dog!

Since Monday, we have not had any further aggression at all... quite the opposite. Jesse has become extremely cuddly with me and often sits with me or on me for longer periods of time, something he had not done before. I am not sure why, but it is lovely!

All four boys have been brilliant over the last few days when Cornel and I have been away a lot at hospital to visit my father-in-law who had a heart operation last Thursday (and he is doing fine). Jesse has therefore been crated quite a lot, though I normally managed to get Jacqui in to give him a break for an hour. He has coped very well and all the boys have been great!

Will post some new pictures when I can take some.

Fights with Flash - and Vet Visit

1 am

I went to an obedience show yesterday (Sunday) with Flash (Culverston). On the way home, I thought I'd pop into Pets At Home to get Jesse's food and to get them some new toys... (like they haven't got enough already). I got them a toy duck and a couple of nylabones.

I gave them the toys and Jesse really loved the puppy nylabone I got. He started to become very possessive over it, so eventually I took it off of him and threw it in the bin. Cornel didn't think that was necessary... but no more than 10 seconds later, Jesse flew at Flash presumably because there was a small piece of that bones on the floor (or Jesse thought there was).

I grabbed Jesse immediately and held him down (to prevent him biting me) until he stopped going mad at Flash... as in other situations, it took quite a while until he stopped (I'd say probably about 20 or 30 seconds)! He really has a temper and little self-control in such situations.

Flash was obviously shaken a bit (though not injured, I got to Jesse quickly enough) and was a little defensive for a while against Jesse. I don't blame him, he hasn't got a clue why Jesse suddenly flew at him out of the blue.

They are fine again now.

Jesse has always been food possessive, and I have always managed things carefully and taught him what he can and cannot do. I have no problem if they guard chews/treats against each other as long as it's within reason - they are not allowed to have a go at a dog just walking past and they are not allowed to guard from a distance. Jesse stuck to these rules ok - until tonight. I guess it is the teenager coming out... and the skin problems may have contributed to the intensity of this outburst too.

I had also already started some food guarding exercises to prevent an escalation of the problem. These are going well and should take effect fairly quickly.

I think Cornel now sees why I am so strict with Jesse... He always thought I was being unfair... But I am not unfair at all... Jesse is normally the instigator of trouble, which is totally to be expected from him at his age. But it is now that he needs to learn exactely what he can and cannot do, and the rules and boundaries have to be very strict! He is a teenager and is pushing the limits wherever he can!

We'll see how things go... if he causes too much trouble, then he'll get the snip rather sooner than later. There is no doubt that a lot of his pushy/aggressive behaviour is hormone fuelled! He is indeed a very "male" male!

On a different note, he will be off to the vet's later today so I can have a chat about his skin problems. The itching seems to have lessened quite a lot... not sure whether this is down to the anti-hystamine tablets or just the fact that the sores are healing up.

10 pm

I took Jesse to the vet as planned. Mark felt that it was a skin infection, probably started through the flea allergy. He gave me antibiotics and Advocate flea treatment for Jesse! Advocate flea drops will be better as they will kill fleas before they bite unlike Frontline and that is of course much better for Jesse with his flea allergy.

When we got home, Jesse and Flash started playing... and Jesse suddenly flew at Flash again. Luckily again, I was standing right next to him and grabed him by the scruff again and held him. This time, he stopped immediately. I asked him to go and appologise to Flash, which he did by going up to him and licking his face. Flash seemed fine this time.

Naughty pup... I do think though that his bad tummy and itchy skin have something to do with his short temper at the moment...

Skin Problems

For a few weeks now, Jesse has been scratching quite badly on and off. He (and all the others) was treated for fleas with frontline spray. He was much better after that and all but stopped. But two weeks later he was scratching again. So I frontlined them all again with the drop ons this time. The scratching got yet again much better... but over the last week or so, it is quite bad again! It's only two weeks after the last flea treatment, so I can't give him anymore.

At the same time, I am struggling to find a diet that suits him! On the CSJ TurDucKen, his poos just weren't getting any better and also his coat seemed to be suffering. So I ended up changing him onto Nature Diet Original. To start off, this worked well without throwing up or soft poos... but soon he pretty much developped colitis with mucousy poos! I have now changed him to the Lamb variety... that was yesterday and - touch wood - his first poo today was fine (though the second one still yellow and soft). So I am hoping to have found the solution there. I know that he has food allergies and I know one of them is gluten, but it's trying to work out what all the others are. With the Lamb Nature Diet, there is now one protein source and that will allow me to gradually add other foods to see what he reacts to.

Re the scratching... it got so bad that I asked my vet whether I could give him Tavergil (anti-hystamines), which they agree to. So I gave him one tablet last night and one this morning... and I think he is scratching less already!

We'll see... I have him booked in to see the vet on Monday. If the tablets work, I will cancel it as it will then be most likely still be the flea allergy... If he continues to scratch excessively over the week-end, I will take him to see the vet!

Excellent training session

Jesse came training today like always on Tuesdays. He is doing so well. Heelwork is coming along really nicely, retrieve is getting there too and now also nice and very solid stays and waits. He does a lovely novice recall! Way to go... can't wait for our first competition!